Al Qaida still intends to target energy facilities on the Arabian Peninsula. Evan Kohlmann posted an interview with a Saudi al-Qaida member who is operating out of Yemen, searching out as he says. "good military preparation." What for? According to the translated article the rationale has to do with the intended targets:
“if the enemy's interests in the Arabian Peninsula were devastated, his access to our petroleum interrupted, and the oil refineries put out of order, this would cause the enemy to collapse..."
Though I have no doubt Saudi efforts to deradicalize their al-Qaida members has been effective to some degree, the group maintains a strong presence on the Peninsula, right now operating out of Yemen. It's clear from this translation that they intend to continue to target Saudi energy infrastructure.
